What are ya — some kinda crazy?: Rugged Maniacs descend on Zoo City

When April rolls around, thousands of brave souls will gather at Zoo City Motor Sports Park, not to test the CC’s on their bikes but their mettle against Mother Nature.

The brainchild of Boston lawyers, Bradford Scudder and Rob Dickens, Rugged Maniac is a 5K (3.1 miles) race that includes 20 unusual obstacles, including tires and muddy tubes equipped with ropes.

“We met during a study abroad in Ireland,” Dickens says. “(Bradford) didn’t like being a lawyer, so we started a company (Rugged Races, LLC) once the obstacle race industry started around 2007, 2008.”

Scudder had tried one of the Tough Mudder races, which are half marathons. To make it more accessible and fun, the duo decided to spread the race over 3 miles instead of 12. Rugged Maniacs has grown to 20 events this year with thousands of participants.

“People are bored with just running down the street,” Dickens says. “There’s a whole trend of Americans trying to get out and be healthier and exercise. They want to go outdoors and reconnect with nature. They want to get mud under their fingernails. It’s much more natural, rewarding and enjoyable.”

The races take place on everything from ski slopes in the Summer to motocross courses in more temperate zones like North Carolina.

“You can’t really do it in downtown Boston because you need space and the ability to dig and excavate,” Dickens says. “It’d be totally different if it were a normal 5K. We dig pits and that needs a more rural environment. We use anything that is a ready-made venue that holds a lot of people.”

Enter Zoo City.

“Asheboro is close enough to the Triad and the Triangle,” Dickens says. “The North Carolina event usually has 7,000 or 8,000.”

“It’s an outdoor festival,” Dickens says. “Instead of centering around a county fair or a concert, it centers around a run. People can just hang out all day long.”

Think you’re rugged?

Asheboro resident Marcia Whitaker participated in last year’s event and is planning on making a return trip.

“It’s unbelievable how many people come out from all over — not just from North Carolina,” she says. “If you don’t want to get muddy, wet or cold, don’t do it. It’s a lot of fun. People dress up in all kinds of costumes.”

Participating in a Rugged Maniac event is no walk in the park. Here are some tips from a veteran:

Train, train, train. While 3.1 miles may sound do-able, it’s still longer than the jaunt to your mailbox. Returning Maniac Marcia Whitaker not only did 5K training, but also did boot camps at the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA and some weightlifting. “It’s not just running,” she says. “You need to have some upper body strength and stamina. It depends on how competitive you are. You can run/walk. You can’t go into it thinking it’s going to be a piece of cake.”

You don’t have to be young, just fit. Whitaker, who is in her mid-50s, says she saw participants from 17 to 70 out on the course. “There’s a wide range of people who run the whole gamut of levels of fitness and ages,” she says.

You don’t have to run alone. In fact, many participants run as teams. Last year, Whitaker was part of the Mud Slugs — a team of friends from the Y. This year, they’re Mud Mayhem.

Plan to get dirty. Some participants have been known to tape their shoes up so they don’t lose them; others wear trail shoes for better traction. Whitaker wore an old pair of tennis shoes that she threw away when she was done. While the event is equipped with showers for post-race cleaning, Whitaker said the line was pretty long, so she covered her car seat with a garbage bag to drive home.

Want to try it?

When: April 20.

Where: Zoo City Motor Sports Park, 279 Joe Farlow Road, Asheboro.

Cost: $78 by March 29, $88 by April 12; military, college and high school discounts are available; admission for spectators is $10; children, ages 13 and under, are free. Info: info@ruggedmaniac.com.